Duplex reproducer for phonographs.



P. P. BECK.

DUPLEX REPRODUCER FOR PHONOGRAPHS.

APPLICATION IILEDSEPT. 4, 1007. 950,42 Patented Feb.22, 1910.

2 SHEETS-SHBET 1.

snuaul'o'a P, P. BECK. DUPLEX RBPRODUGER FOR PHONOGRAPHS.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT.4, 1907.

Patented Feb. 22, 1910.

2 SHEETS-SHEET Z.

Fllllll UNITED STATES PATENT. OFFICE.

FRANK P. BECK, OF RICHMOND, VIRGINIA.

DUPLEX REPRODUCER FOR PHONOGRAPHS. I

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 22, 1910.

Application filed September 4, 1907. Serial No. 391,359.

To all. whom it may 00 ern:

Be-it known that FRA'NK, P. Been, a citizen of the United States of America, residin at Richmond, in the county of 'Henrico and State of Virginia, have inventcipal objects of the same is to provide means for conveyiii compressed air through the sound box an up into the outlet horn. I

I Another object of the invention is to provide a plurality of sound boxes, and means for conveying compressed air through the sound boxes and out through the horn, the purpose being to amplify the reproduction of sound records, and to do away with the ordinary diaphragm.

These and other objects may be attained by means of the construction illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a central vertical section of a.

reproducer made in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 1s a side elevation of the same. Fi 3 is a vertical seetionon the line 3-3, of i .1, lookin 1n the dlrection inthe manne'r of mounting the wires 11 in the sound box.

dictated by t e arrow. ig. 4 is a plan view of the stationary disk or diaphragm 1n the sound box. Fig. 5 is a plan view of the conical air deflector. Fig. 6 is a central vertical section .of a modified form of the reproducer,

and Fig. 7 is a side elevation of the same;

Fig. 8 1S a detail sectional view, illustrating Referring to the drawing for a more particular description of my invention, the

numeral 1 designates the body portion of the sound box provided with openings 2 which communicate 'with an interiorly threaded ortion 3 in which is adjustably fitted a tu e 4. The body portion 1 is pro' vided with interior screw ,threads 5 at the outer ends thereof, and fitted in the outer i said ends of said body portion 1, are the outer members 6 0f the sound boxes. Fitted be tween the meinbers 1 and 6 of the sound box at op osite sides thereof. are port plates 7 provi ed with a series of vertical slots 8, plates being clamped between said two mem ers 1 and 6, as shown in Fig. 1. A vibratory disk 9 also provided with slots 10 which are disposed out of alinement with the slots 8, as shown more particularly in boss 24 1s a Fig. 3, is secured one u on each side of the sound box at the side 0 the disk 7, said vibrator disk being supported upon a wire 11, an said wires 11 passing through openings in the box of suflicient size to permit the disk to vibrate, said wires being adjustably connected to a clamp 12 provided with a set screw 13. The wires 11 pass through keepers 11 secured to the sound box body. Also connected to the clamp 12 is a cross bar 14, said cross bar having a needle holder 15 centrally disposed thereon to receive a stylus or needle 16 which is held in place by means of a set screw 17. Thin sheet metal air deflectors 18 of conical formation and provided with peripheral lugs 20, are se cured to the members 6 by means of the lugs 20, and the space between the lugs 20 and the periphery of the deflector 18 forms inlet openings for the passage of the compressed Fitted to bosses 21 on the box members air. 6 are curved air tubes 22, the upper ends of which are fitted in a nipple 23 projecting at opposite sides of a hollow boss 24: in which is adj ustably fitted the tube 4 between the ends of the pipes 22. -Hinged to the horn support 25 to which a horn 26 is suitably fitted, as by a threaded nipple 27. The horn sup ort 25 is provided with air passage 28 w ich communicate with openings 29 in the ni ple 23 and the air pipes 22 are provide with openings 30 which communicate with the air passages. The horn support 25 is pivoted upon the screws 31 which pass through the horn support and have their inner ends disposed upon opposite sides of the boss 24. Flexible air pipes 32 communicate with the air passages 28 and said air pipes 32 are connected to some suitable source of compressed air.

The operation of my invention may be briefly described as follows: When the stylus 16 is laced upon a record and the record revo ved, compressed air is forced through the tube 32 and through the air pipes 22 against the deflectors 18, the air being carried up and around the periphery of said deflectors into the sound box and the vibrating disk 9 is moved by the movement of the st lus and also by the air which passes throng the same and through the stationar port plates 7, the air thus conveying t e sound u through the tube 4 and out through the horn 26.

In Figs. 6 and 7 of the drawings, I have illustrated a reproducer including a strucg w s;

" ture which will permit the sound to be conveyed through the tube 4 or through the I tubes 22,. as the operator may elect. In this construction of the reproducer, the upper -'end of the tube 4 has threaded engagement with a sleeve 33 mounted in the nipple 23, and is threaded for the reception of a plug 34. The sleeve 33 is provided with openings 35, and the sleeve is so mounted that it may be turned to register said openingswith the ends of the tubes or throw them outflof registration therewith The nipple 23 is provided with air passages 36 WhiChj I communicate with the air passages '28 -adelow thepug 34 through the medium of openings 37 in the tube 5 and openings '38 i in the sleeve 33. It should be observed that when the openings 35 register with the ends of the tubes 22,-the openings 38 register with. the openings Y33 and a1r passages 36, and that when the openings 35 are out 'of registration with the ends of the'tubes 22 communication between the passages 36 and tube 4 is cut oif. Valves 39 are mounted in the nipple 23 at the'intersections of the passages 36' and openings 29 and provided I with means by which air may be directed,

thereof by means of coupling members 40,

which'carry the air deflectors 18 and between which and the members 6 or the bod portion 1, the diaphragms 7 are mounte When it is desired to convey the sound phragm through the tubes 22, the sleeve 33 is turned so that the openings 35 and 38 therein will register with the ends of the tubes '22 and with the passages 36',and openings- 37 in the tube 4, thereby establishing communication between the horn 26 and the tubes 22 and between the air passages'28 and the tube 4. The deflectors 18 are arranged in opposition to the openings 2, and the dias 7 are secured between the couplings 40 and the outer members 6 of the sound boxes. As vibrator disks 9 'must be located between the deflectors l8 and the diaphragmsjT, a longer cross bar 14 is used, and the wires 11 connected thereto are passed through the openings 41 in the outer members 6 and the openings 42 in the couplings 40. With the parts arranged in this manner and the valves 29 opened to permit the air to pass from the passages 28 to the passages 36 the air may be directed to the tube 4 against the deflectors 18 and around the same into the sound boxes, then through the diaphragms 7 and 9 to the tubes 22 and thence out through the horn 26.

When it is desired to convey the sound through the tube 4 to the horn 26, the valves 29" are turned to cut 0d communication beacent the o enings 29 and with the tube .4

tween the air assages 28 and 36; the plug '35 removed; t e sleeve 33 turned so that the openings 35 and 38 will be out of registration with the tubes 22 and 4; the couplings 40 registered so that the deflectors 18 will be inopposition to the ends of the tubes 22, and the diaphragms 7 securedbetweenthe body portion land the couplings, With'the parts in this position, it is necessary to use a shorter cross bar 14' and the wires 11 connected to the diaphragms 9,

passed through the openings 43 and the openings 42 and the coupling members 40.

. From the foregoing it will be obvious that either one or the other of the sound boxes may be cut out by passing compressed air through one only of the pipes 32, that any suitable number of sound boxes may be used and that the record is very much amplified owing to the number of sound boxes and the manner of forcing compressed air through the same and out through the outlet horn.

From the foregoing descriptiontaken in connection with .the accompanying drawings, the construction and mode of operation of the invention should be understood without a further extended description.

Changes in the" form, proportions and minor details of construction may be made within the scope of the claims without departing. from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

Having thus described theinvention, what I claim is: I

' 1. A sound reproducer comprising a plurality of sound boxes, deflectors in said boxes,

curved air pipes connected to said boxes at one end, a hinged horn support, oppositely disposed nipples to which said air'pipes are connected, and an adjustable tube connecting the sound box with said nipples,

' 2. A sound reproducer comprising a sound box, a coupling member secured to the sound box, a deflector secured to the coupling member, the outer member of the soundbox being secured to the coupling'member, a stationary port plate secured between the coupling member and the sound box, said port plate being provided with slots, a movable slotted diaphragm mounted between the deflector and the stationary. port late, a stylus connected to the movable diap iragm, a tube communicating with the sound box, another tube communicating with the outer member of the sound box, and means for conveying air through one or the other of said tubes.

3. A sound reproducer including a sound box, a deflector, ,a diaphragm, a stylus connected to the diaphragm, tubes connected to the sound box, and means for directing air through one or the other of said tubes.

4. A sound reproducerincluding a sound box, a deflector, a diaphragm, a stylus connected to the diaphragm, tubes connected to the sound box, a nipple connecting the tubes at their o iposite ends, a horn carried by the In testimony whereof I afiii; my signature nipple, a remlovable plug carried by cine 05 in presence of two witnesses.

the tubes a s eeve carried by the nipp e an ada llted to cut off communication between FRANK BECK the orn and one of the tubes, and means by Witnesses:

which air may be conveyed through one or BEN BERGMANN,

the other of said tubes to the sound box. GEO. C. WILES. 

